Out Of The Woods
by ddollfacedd
Summary: Tragedy strikes Puck and Quinn just as the two are getting their lives together.
1. Prologue

It all started with a positive pregnancy test and a dark, snowy night in Lima, Ohio. Taylor Swift played loudly in the pretty blondes car as she screamed along to the question, Are we out of the woods yet? After such shocking news, Quinn needed something to pump her up after pacing back and forth nervously around her hotel room. Yes, the timing was better for a baby than when she was only a sophomore in high school, but still, it wasn't something that needed to happen at this exact moment. She was still in college anyway and Puck was off doing his own thing in the military. It didn't exactly take a genuis to realize how screwed up this entire situation could be, but Quinn put on her happy face as usual and drove over to the Puckerman household at 11 p.m. anyway.

The girl hadn't realized how bad the weather had gotten until she pulled out of the parking lot, but seeing that she was a safe driver for the most part, she didn't make a big deal out of it. Besides, she wasn't exactly going to tell the news to Puck over the phone or in front of all their friends. The couple didn't exactly need to hear all the jokes and comments that they would make if they found out before they needed to.

Quinn danced in her seat to the beat of the song and sang along in perfect key.

_Remember when you hit the brakes too soon?  
>Twenty stiches in the hospital room.<br>When you started cryin', baby, I did too.  
>But when the sun came up, I was lookin' at you.<em>

Before the girl even got the next line out of her mouth, she realized that something had gone completely wrong as the car slid through the street. She held her breath, thinking that the car would stop and she'd continue on her way with no harm done to herself or the baby. Instead, things went much differently than she had hoped.

Before she knew it, her entire world flashed to black.


	2. The Hospital Scene

**A/N: **Hey babes! Thank you so much for the follows/favorites/comments/whatever it was from the prologue. I had no idea it would've gotten so much traffic in less than twenty-four hours, but I'm glad that it did. It's nice to see the Quick fans coming out again! Anyway, here's the official first chapter. Please keep doing all of the above stuff to keep this writer a happy girl!

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><p>It had been a somewhat normal night home for Puck. After coming back for a break from the military, he decided it'd be nice to stay with his mom and little sister for awhile as he took time off to help with the glee club. Everything had been going exceptionally well for Noah Puckerman as of late. Not only was he doing something right in his life for once and had cleaned up his act a lot in the past couple years since graduation, but he also got his girl back. He knew from the moment they started glee club that he and Quinn were meant for each other. Of course, he'd never admit that to anyone - not even her - because that'd seem way too sappy and he had a reputation to maintain. It was safe to say that the man was happier than he had ever been. While he missed his friends, especially Finn, he was trying to be better than his old man and so far, he was doing a pretty good job.<p>

Sometime around midnight while Puck was watching some crappy late night TV show, his phone started to light up with several texts and a call from none other than Rachel Berry herself. When he answered, he could hardly get a word in as she babbled on the other end. Puck smiled, thinking that this wasn't out of the usual for her, and finally raised his voice. "Take a deep breath, Berry. What are you trying to say?"

As Rachel continued to ramble through tears and sharp breathing, Puck's entire world suddenly came to a screeching halt. "I'll be there soon." His face dropped along with the hand that was holding his phone. For a moment, he was entirely frozen and unable to move. A million thoughts were racing through his mind and the only thing he could think of was that everything could've been over for them right then and there. What if that was it? What if yet another one of his friends were gone for good?

In the haze of the entire situation, Puck rushed over to the hospital. He wasn't even sure how he got there so fast. One moment he was sitting on the couch, frozen in fear, and the next he was in the parking lot, clutching onto the steering wheel for dear life. He didn't want to get out of his truck. He didn't want to go inside and have to deal with the doctors and his friends. He didn't want anything bad to happen for the one person he cared about more than anyone in this world. It was all too much for him to handle. After what seemed like an eternity of sitting there, he took deep breaths and worked himself into being Airman First Class Noah Puckerman instead of the scared little boy that he felt like. With a blank, steady face, he walked through the doors to be greeted by everyone yet again. They all knew this wasn't the first time. Quinn had gotten herself into an accident just a few years ago. This time seemed much different than the last. Even the atmosphere felt different.

"Puck!" Rachel yelled and motioned him over next to her. He wasn't all too surprised when he was pulled into her embrace. He tried not to break as he hugged her back. "Puck, it's not looking good."

"Where are her parents?" That was the only questioned on his mind. As he looked around the waiting room, the only people he saw were former glee club members.

Sam shrugged and placed a hand on his friends shoulder. "We have no clue."

The room started spinning abruptly, making it hard for Puck to stand. He sat down next to Santana and placed his head in his hands, frantically rubbing his face. He heard the sniffles and whispers from everyone beside him but chose to ignore it all. He sat in silence, keeping a steady gaze on the dirty tiles on the floor as he thought about everything that had happened in the past six months since they'd started dating again. Everything had been going so great, even with the distance between them. It seemed to have taken a lot of time a part to realize that they had needed each other. Even their peers saw that they were much happier together than apart and that made his world seem brighter than it normally was. The thought of losing her out of nowhere made Puck feel like he was going insane, but for the sake of himself and those around him, he tried to keep himself together until they knew what was actually happening.

About forty minutes later, the doctor finally strolled out in a solemn matter. From that alone, it didn't seem like it was going to be good news. Though he didn't want to, Puck stood up immediately with the rest of the gang following suit behind him. "Is she going to be okay?" Of course the question came off more depressing than he meant for it too, but that didn't matter at that particular moment.

The doctor frowned and placed his hands behind his back. "I'm sorry, we can only speak release that information family. Are Ms. Fabray's parents here?"

Puck shook his head and looked back down at his feet. The only thing he wanted to do was punch the doctor in the face to get information, but Mr. Schue came forward and stepped into action. "I'm her step-dad. And this here is her fiancee." He placed firm hands on both of Puck's shoulders, and gave them a squeeze. He knew that Puck would appreciate the lie one way or another.

"Well," the doctor sighed, "it's not looking too good." He took a moment and glanced at both of the men who seemed to have been clutching on to hopes that she was alive and well. "See, your fiancee got pretty banged up from the accident. While she seems fine for now, she has slipped into a coma. We're not sure when she'll wake up, but for now, it's good seeing that'll help the girl heal faster."

_A coma_. Those words rung in Puck's head over and over, causing him to get a slight headache. It felt like someone was taking the words and pinning it to his brain using a hammer and nails. He heard Schuester speak to the doctor, but he wasn't sure what he was saying. He was lost in a haze of his own and couldn't even form a complete sentence.

"Puck!" Mr. Schuester shook him by the shoulders to snap out of his daze for a moment. "He's talking to you."

Puck's attention went back to the doctor who looked like he was in his mid-fifties. "We just wanted to let you know that we checked on the baby and everything seems fine for now."

The boy shook his head, wondering if he didn't hear right. "What baby?" He knitted his eyebrows together in confusion.

"At the sight of the accident, they found a positive pregnancy test. Maybe it was a surprise." The doctor grinned, almost a mix between congratulatory and sympathy.

Puck made his way through the crowd of people that had formed and went back to take a seat. "A baby." He repeated to himself. "Oh my God." He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, wanting this to all be a dream.


	3. Sleep On It

**A/N:** Hello! I'm trying to get back into the swing of things with updating my stories and all of that good stuff. This chapter isn't the best thing out there, but think of it as a filler chapter for now. I'm so sorry I haven't updated lately. You're all so lovely, so thank you for bearing with me!

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><p>Puck slowly walked down the hallways and took a left, knowing that the girls room would be coming up on the righthand side. She had only been taken into a room of her own about twenty minutes ago, and it had taken Puck five minutes to walk from the waiting room to outside her door. He wanted to pace himself, knowing that there was just too much going on and he needed to take a moment to digest it all before going to see Quinn lying in a hospital bed.<p>

As he turned into the room, he took a deep breath and held it as soon as he saw her feet covered up by a blanket. He was on the verge of a breakdown, but held it together. He had heard news stories about comatose patients actually being able to hear their loved ones and staff while they're in a coma, so he wanted to be brave just for her. It was hard, though. The love of his life was laying there perfectly still, looking like a princess that needed a kiss to be woken up. She looked like a porcelain doll with a few bumps and bruises. No mark on her was as bad as he thought it would be. There were some scrapes on her arms from where she must've been caught by stray tree branches, but that was it.

The man sat down next to her bed and exhaled so loudly that he was sure that the nurses in the hallway could have heard it. If Quinn were awake, she'd probably laugh and say that he was overreacting, but she didn't make a sound or move even an inch. He gently picked up her hand and placed it in his. "Q," he shook his head, "what the hell were you thinking?"

His jaw started to tremble, but he kept it all in for now. He wanted to punch a wall or go kill whoever manufactured her car. He knew it was rather ridiculous of him to think that way, but he deserved to be angry at anything that almost took Quinn away from him. _Almost_, he thought, _not definitely_. He was grateful that she was still here — her lungs were pumping and her heart was beating — but she couldn't respond to him and that's what made the situation shittier than he originally thought it was. He just wishes she could respond to him, that's all.

"_A baby_," he choked out and cleared his throat. He looked down to Quinn's stomach with a small smile appearing on his face. She wasn't going to be showing yet for quite awhile, but at least knowing that it was safe was satisfying enough. "I wish we could celebrate right now. This is a pretty big thing, Quinn. Sucks that I had to hear it from that douche of a doctor, but I mean, a baby." He stopped, amazed at his own words. He was more than ready this time around. He knew he could've taken care of Beth, but now, he's more stable in every way. He has grown up and is now a much better person than he was the first time around. "We're going to have a baby," he whispered to themselves. The sentence felt weird as it rolled off of his tongue, but that's what happens when you get hit with news out of nowhere.

"Mr. Puckerman?" A nurse called as she stepped into the room. Puck shot up from his chair and looked at her. "Visiting hours are over, but you can come back at nine if you'd like."

Puck sighed and crossed his arms. "Is there anyway I can stay with her tonight? What if she wakes up?"

The nurse looked at him with a sympathetic grin and nodded. "That's no problem," she said as she walked past him in order to check Quinn's vitals. Puck watched carefully, making sure the nurse didn't screw up her job. Of course, he had no idea what she was even doing, but he thought that keeping a close watch on the nurse would soothe his nerves just a little bit. "I'll be back in two hours to check on her," the nurse grinned and walked out the door, closing it behind her.

The man had no idea what to do next. He contemplated putting on some TV show that Quinn probably would hate the noise of, but instead, he sat back down in the chair, picked up her hand once more, and tried to fall asleep.


End file.
